Mending Walls
by Morgan450
Summary: Takes place seventeen years in the future. After a so long apart can Sonny and Alexis make it right again? Contains SEXIS, SAX, L&L, LIASON, and others *Chapter 2 ADDED*
1. Character List

The Players Cassadines Nikolas: During the Summer of 2002 Nikolas became more and more Stavros like until Helena kidnapped Alexis and Laura and he was forced to see the path that he might be traveling down. Even though he was disgusted by what she did Nikolas slid into depression after Helena's death. During this time he and Gia continued to grow further and further apart because she couldn't understand what he was going through. When Emily came back to town she could and Nikolas connected over having families that they loved even when they hated them. Gia grew very jealous and she and Nikolas broke up in January of 2005. Nikolas decided that the only way to escape the Cassadine legacy was to give up everything. He sold everything, moved into the Brownstone, and has spent the last fourteen years using Cassadine Enterprises to give back to all those who his family wronged. He and Emily married on December 25th 2010 and their daughter Paige Lasha Alexandra Cassadine was born three years later.  
  
Emily: Came back to support her family after A.J.'s disappearance and never left. She and Zander tried to rekindle their relationship but their trust in each other was destroyed and they were never able to get it back. As time went by Emily came to see her parents as the flawed but essentially good people that they were and eventually forgave them. Went to undergrad and Law school at P.C.U and after passing the bar she and Alexis opened up a small law firm together.  
  
Alexis: Taking Ned's advice Alexis left Port Charles in July 2002 and rented a small cottage on the Virginia shore. Right before she left, Alexis suffered an attack of conscience and left Sonny a letter in which she told him the truth both about her feelings for him and her pregnancy. When Sonny never responded Alexis assumed that he was too afraid to rock the boat with Carly to bother caring about her and left the US and moved to Venice. Two weeks later Helena kidnapped her and took her back to Greece, once she arrived on the Cassadine Island Alexis discovered that Helena had also abducted a very pregnant Laura Spencer and the two were cell mates for the next three months. Thankfully their friends back in Port Charles hadn't forgotten about them and Luke, Sonny, Nikolas, Jax, and Ned were able to rescue them. Once she got back to Port Charles Alexis and Sonny grew very close during the remainder of her pregnancy but it took Alexis a long time to forgive him for not coming to her that summer. Alexis never learned that Carly had intercepted the letter and kept it from Sonny. Her daughters, Abigail Kirsten and Regina Adella were born on February 5th 2003. Over the years Alexis has moved her business further and further away form Sonny and concentrated on defending all the people that truly need her help even though most of them can't pay for it. Regardless of what happened between them Alexis and Sonny are still best friends and have managed (They think) to move on with their lives.  
  
Abbey: Abigail Kirsten Davis-Corinthos. The quieter of the twins, this causes most people to think she's the "good" one, which couldn't be further from the truth. In her own words Abbey's simply "more discreet.", if Gina inherited the famous Corinthos temper then Abbey got the Cassadine memory, she never forgets a thing (good or bad) and will some way some how find a way to pay the person back. Regardless of this she really is a good kid and spends most of her time trying to protect all the people who can't protect themselves (Sound familiar anyone?) Abbey's Student Council Vice-President and wants to go to Law School and then into practice with her mother.  
  
Gina: Regina Adella Davis-Corinthos. Beneath the high-heeled boots and fiery temperament Abbey has a very big heart which she tries not to let a lot of people see. Her current mission is to get Carly as far away from Sonny as possible and what Gina wants, Gina gets. Like Abbey, Gina lives to right wrongs, but usually goes about it a with a bit more force. Dreams of taking over the (legitimate) business from Sonny someday and proving to the people of Port Charles that just because your last name is Corinthos you're not automatically a criminal.  
  
Helena: Escaped from counseling the penguins in Antarctica and kidnapped Laura from Port Charles. She then abducted Alexis and imprisoned the women beneath the Cassadine mansion for the entire summer. When the Calvary showed up Helena attempted to trick them into falling into a pit much like the one Stavros disappeared into but during a fight with Luke she fell in and died (We hope.) Helena was never able to recognize her final revenge.  
  
Corinthos Sonny: After he halted their divorce Sonny and Carly remarried in a big ceremony that July. Sonny never fully realized just how much he depended on Alexis until she disappeared but he just assumed that she finally figured out that she was too good for him and was back together with Ned. Has never fully forgiven himself for the fact that she almost miscarried when Helena kidnapped her. After Abbey and Gina were born Sonny decided that he needed to be as "legit" as possible. Roscoe was killed during the last big mob war back in 2005 and Sonny has received no major threats to his power since then, as a result he has been able to pour all of his energies into building up the coffee business and expanding his new harbor project. As the years went on Sonny realized that he was no longer truly in love with Carly but it has been easier for him to stay married to her rather than admit that he made another mistake.  
  
Carly: After she ran out of Zander's apartment that April night Carly got one of her old lovers to help her get revenge on Sonny. After she returned Helena contacted Carly and the two decided to join forces in order to destroy Alexis. That July Carly got to Alexis' letter before Sonny and told Helena where her nemesis was. Carly never told Sonny that she couldn't conceive children and strung him along for almost a year. Then once Sonny started insisting that they undergo fertility testing Carly picked a fight with Kristina and then faked a big fall, after which she found paid an OB- GYN to say that that was the reason she would never be able to have children. As always even "winning" Sonny hasn't made Carly completely happy she has been silently self destructing for years; embezzling money from 101 and the other clubs she's opened, anonymous affairs, creating scheme after scheme to cover up all the other stuff she's pulled. She absolutely hates Abbey and Gina but has no idea that they're about to take her down.  
  
Michael: It didn't take Michael long to realize that his nanny basically raised him and he has never been able to have a good relationship with Carly. On the other hand he is very close to Sonny, Alexis, his sisters, and his biological father's family. Michael just graduated undergrad form Harvard and is planning to attend law school there in the fall. His best friend? Starr Manning who was two years ahead of him in school, has just graduated form law school, and is going to be an ADA for the Port Charles District Attorney's Office.  
  
Spencers Laura: Laura was kidnapped by Helena the night before she and Luke were to re-marry. Laura spent the summer imprisoned beneath the Cassadine mansion in Greece. After Luke rescued her they remarried immediately in a blow out that managed to top even their first wedding. Liam and Elle were born the next March. Over the years Deception has grown to be one of the top ten cosmetics companies in the country, right behind her fiercest rival, Enchantment Cosmetics.  
  
Luke: Spent the summer of 2002 looking for Laura after Helena kidnapped her. Luke learned that Alexis had been taken also so he went to Sonny and eventually they rescued the women. In a rather ironic twist of fate Helena tried to have Luke thrown in to another bottomless pit but instead she tripped and fell in instead. Remarried Laura in December 2002 Luke's has done so well that he's just opened a new club The Blue Note. .  
  
Lucky: After breaking up with Sarah in the fall of 2003 he went to go work for National Geographic magazine and the spent the next twelve years overseas. Lucky has recently moved back to the states and opened a small photo gallery in Philadelphia.  
  
Lulu: "The Good Spencer." More like Laura in temperament then any of her siblings. Once she stopped playing tea party and actually started talking to people Lu was IQ tested and found to be a genius, she graduated from both high school and college four years early and is a junior history professor at P.C.U.  
  
Liam: Born in March of 2003. Calmer than Elle but still Luke Spencer's son. Currently dating Gina Corinthos. Has a major interest in music and works after school at L&B.  
  
Elle: Leanna Ellenora Spencer. Takes after Luke in almost every way. Thankfully she channels her energies in more positive ways (most of the time at least). Models with Gia Campbell's agency and wants to go work at Deception. Proof positive that fashion sense doesn't always get inherited form your mother's side.  
  
Roy: Owns a private detective agency along with Felicia Scorpio. Reconciled with Bobbie and they married in Nov. 2003. Hannah disappeared a month later and left behind her young son David.  
  
Bobbie: The same. Currently the head nurse at G.H. In her spare time works with Monica at the new free clinics. Still owns Kelly's with Felicia but has given up much of the day to day stuff.  
  
Lucas: Works as a private investigator in Felicia's agency, but is really a member of the WSB. Has been dating Georgie Scorpio for the last two years.  
  
David: Currently a freshman at PCU, a Criminal Justice and Sociology major. Wants to go work for the FBI like his mother. Writes part time for the Port Charles Herald. Spends much of his spare time trying to find out what happened to Hannah.  
  
Quatermaines A.J.: After Edward cut off his money A.J. sank further and further into alcoholism and depression. He tried to turn around after the birth of his daughter Cornelia in January of 2004 but couldn't fight the lure of the bottle. One night in November of that same year he drove off to work and was never seen again.  
  
Alan: After A.J. disappeared Alan invited Courtney and her daughter to stay at the mansion with the rest of the family. Still Chief of Staff. He and Monica just got remarried after a one-year separation.  
  
Monica: Resigned form G.H. five years ago and runs a small group of free clinics. After a major blowout with Alan in May of 2004 and she ran away to a small island in the Mediterranean to try and figure things out, unbeknownst to her Skye was also in the island and one night saved her life during a giant storm. The two would eventually grow very close. Monica also mended bridges with Courtney after she moved back into the big house.  
  
Skye: Left town in the spring of 2004 when she found out she was pregnant. Eventually Jax came and found her and they got married that August. She and Alan repaired their relationship after A.J. disappeared. After Jay's birth Skye and Jax managed to kick Edward out of ELQ of which Skye is still CEO and major stockholder. She remained antagonistic with her grandfather until his death. To the surprise of pretty much everyone Skye has become a very dedicated wife and mother.  
  
Jax: Married Skye in August of 2004. Their daughter, Antoinette was born in December 13th 2004. Jerry returned to town briefly in the fall of 2006 and brought along his young son Jeremy. When Jerry had to go on the run again Jax convinced him to leave Jeremy in PC, and he and Skye later adopted the boy. Jax still runs the family business.  
  
Jay: Antoinette Janessa Chandler Quatermaine-Jacks. Takes after Skye physically but thankfully inherited Jax's cool head (Though she is not opposed to the occasional scheme). Best friends with C.J., Abbey, Gina, and Elle and is considered to be the "brains" of the outfit. Skipped the fifth grade so she is in the same class as everyone else. Might go into business to someday if her "interest" in computers doesn't land her in jail first.  
  
Courtney: After A.J.'s disappearance Courtney learned the truth behind their relationship. She was devastated at first but eventually Courtney was able to forgive him. She went back to college and then medical school. She has just finished her residency in Psychiatry and is looking forward to starting a private practice.  
  
Lia: Cornelia Janine Quatermaine. Lia might've been raised inside of the Quatermaine mansion but thankfully she appears not to have picked up any of their less than desirable traits. Inherited Courtney's big heart and naiveté but life with the Qs has taught her to be a bit more careful about whom she trusts herself with. Extremely close to her grandmother Monica and big brother Michael.  
  
Ned: Once Ned came realized that he and Alexis were over he was able to move on with his relationship with Kristina. They married in October 2004 and surprised pretty much everyone by being very happy with each other. Lois died in 2010 and he and Kristina raised Brooke Lynn until she graduated from High School and left Port Charles to go to Stanford. By finally burying Eddie Maine and concentrating on business he has built L&B into one of the hottest production labels on the East Coast.  
  
Kristina: After the big blowout with Carly Kristina moved to NYC to work on her career. Ned followed her and they married in St. Patrick's Cathedral that fall. A few years later Kristina decided to give up her music career and they moved back to Port Charles where she opened an Art Gallery with Liz Morgan. She and Alexis spent a lot of time working on their "trust" issues and have grown much closer. Her one regret up until this point is that she and Ned were never able to have any children but now at forty-two she has come to terms with this.  
  
Jason: Jason never learned what exactly happened to Carly that spring and has kept his suspicions to himself. But he knows that she did "something" and has never gotten very close to her again. Over the years his memory's returned and Jason now acknowledges the Quatermaines as his family. After he and Liz got married Jason got out of the "business" and became legitimate partners with Sonny. The new harbor project has been his baby and is expected to put Corinthos/Morgan Ltd. on the international map.  
  
Liz: After learning that Lucky and Sarah were together Liz completely severed her relationships with both of them and left Port Charles. She spent the next five months traveling through Spain and Italy and returned home in January. Six weeks later Liz and Jason got married in Las Vegas on Valentine's Day. Their son, Jeffrey Steven Morgan was born in April 2004. Liz concentrated on her painting and has actually built up a good sized following over the years. She now on paints professionally in addition to her responsibilities at the gallery. Sarah died in an explosion at G.H in March of 2007 and even tough she hadn't talked to her sister in nearly five years Liz and Jason adopted Sarah's daughter Rebecca. 


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I owned them we wouldn't be suffering through this storyline hell.  
  
(In case that wasn't clear enough for someone, I own none of the characters in this story and do not make any money off of them.  
  
Author's Note: This story was started at the beginning of the Summer and as a result does not reflect any  
  
of the storyline changes since them. For example Kristina is still alive, Skye and Jax hadn't married yet,  
  
Jason hadn't come back, Laura was never shipped off to London in a straight jacket...etc. etc. Just to make  
  
it easier on everyone forget everything that's happened on GH since May.  
  
Thanks: To Laura for doing an awesome beta job  
  
Reviews: Like Mana from Heaven. Seriously I'm desperate for them. Good, bad, indifferent, send 'em my way  
  
Alright, now that we've got all that boring stuff out of the way. I give you without any further ado.................  
  
Mending Walls...  
  
-1-  
  
"Abbey, Gina!" Alexis yelled up the stairs, "If you don't hurry up you'll miss breakfast!", Alexis walked away from the foot of the stairs and grabbed her jacket form the back of the couch. The minutes ticked by and still her daughters didn't appear. "I'm not joking you two! You know your father has to leave early this morning!"  
  
"In a minute Mom!" Abbey's voice drifted downstairs from her room.  
  
"I need to find my black boots!" Gina shouted.  
  
"It's not like you don't have seven pairs of them Regina Adella, just choose one! If you and your sister don't get down here in five minutes the only food you'll be getting is what I make you!" The threat worked, in a matter of seconds Alexis could hear running footsteps above her. "Finally!" She exclaimed when Gina and Abbey flew down the stairs.  
  
"What?" They chorused in identical voices, which wasn't surprising when one considered that they were identical twins. For a moment Alexis just had to stand there and admire her girls, they were definitely Sonny's daughters, from their long black hair and dark brown eyes, to the killer smiles and matching dimples that made it impossible for her to deny them anything.  
  
"Earth to Mom, " Gina said, waving her hand in front of Alexis' face, "come in please."  
  
Alexis came out of her reverie and turned to look at her daughter, "What are you wearing Gina?", she asked taking in the red blouse and black leather miniskirt.  
  
"Well I guess she's snapped out of it." Abbey said with a smile as she went and got her own coat.  
  
"It's just a skirt Mom." Gina replied, making her eyes go wide with innocence.  
  
"It' s a miniskirt young lady, and don't give me that look. What do you think your father will say when he sees you?"  
  
"What a beautiful and intelligent daughter I have? Gina guessed.  
  
"Try, no child of mine is going to school looking like a streetwalker. Go upstairs and find another skirt." Alexis ordered.  
  
"But Mom," Gina whined, "I'm sixteen years old, you and Daddy can't keep treating me like a child," Seeing that she was getting nowhere with that argument Gina switched tracks, "besides we're already late, if I go upstairs I'll just have to get a completely different outfit."  
  
"We don't have time for that," Alexis looked at the clock over the mantle, "I have depositions in half an hour. Just pull the skirt down, and I'll you and your father deal with the rest of it."  
  
"Thanks Mommy!" Gina kissed Alexis on the cheek. Grabbing her leather coat she threw open the door and ran across the hall to Sonny's.  
  
"Aren't you glad that I'm the good one?" Abbey asked as she walked over and gave Alexis a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"I think fault for my gray hairs lies pretty much evenly between you and your sister, Abigail Kirsten." Alexis said maneuvering Abbey out the door.  
  
"Maybe," Abbey admitted smoothing down the front of her charcoal gray slacks and walking across the hall, " but at least I'm discreet about it."  
  
Alexis shut the door behind her and wondered, not for the first time, how she had managed to raise two such daughters.  
  
*********************  
  
Abbey, Gina, and Alexis gathered in front of Sonny's door before Abbey and Gina went in for breakfast.  
  
"Alright," Alexis said putting on her glasses and pinning her hair back, "Emily and I are going to be taking depositions tonight do I won't be home until ten-thirty. Where are you two gonna be?"  
  
Abbey went first, "I have debate after school, then Elle and I are going to the mall and then Jay's house."  
  
"Will there be supervision?" Alexis asked, knowing the penchant for trouble her daughter had when left alone with her friends.  
  
"Yes, Mother." Abbey said as though it was the twentieth time that morning she'd volunteered the information. "Skye and Uncle Jax will be there."  
  
"Don't take that tone of voice of voice with me young lady," Alexis cringed at the sound of her voice, *When did I become that kind of mom? * She wondered, but then pushed it to the back of her mind, "The last time you guys all got together I had to come rescue you from the police department."  
  
"That was a nuisance arrest and you know it Mom." Abbey insisted in a perfect of Alexis' "lawyer" voice, sending chills down her mother's back. "The school was pissed because we let the bio frogs go and Captain Taggert wanted to make Daddy angry."  
  
"You haven't passed the bar yet Abbey." Alexis reminded her, "Try to stay out of the big house until then."  
  
Abbey rolled her eyes but didn't say anything more. Alexis knew that the conversation was over so she turned her attentions to Gina. "Regina?" She asked.  
  
"Huh?" Gina was so busy trying to pull her skirt down a few more inches that she hadn't been paying attention.  
  
"What are you doing this afternoon?" Taking pity on Gina's situation Alexis wordlessly took of her black blazer and handed it to the girl.  
  
"Thanks Mom." The blazer was long enough that it pretty much hid the skirt. "I've got lacrosse practice and then Liam's taking me to a movie.  
  
Alexis repressed the shudder that went through her every time she thought about her daughter going out with Luke Spencer's son.  
  
Gina noticed her Mom's little twitch but didn't say anything. "Then he's dropping me off at Jay's house and I'm spending the night there with Abbey."  
  
"Okay darlings." Alexis grabbed Gina's jacked and shrugged it on," I'll see you tomorrow morning, make sure you call me after school lets out and as soon as you get to Jay's house.  
  
The bell on the elevator dinged just before it opened; "All right I've got to go." She blew them a kiss as the doors began to close.  
  
"Bye Mom." The girls said as the doors closed. As soon as their Mom disappeared from sight, Gina turned to Abbey and said, "So how pissed do you think Snarly's gonna be that we've held up her morning?"  
  
"In a word?" Abbey asked, "Extremely."  
  
"We can only hope." Was Gina's reply as she took her keys out of her backpack and went to open the door to PH #2. 


	3. Chapter 2

Mending Walls  
  
-2-  
  
Carly heard the turning of a key in the door and ran to open it. There standing in front of her wearing identical looks of disdain were Alexis' two teenaged brats. "Why the hell are you two so late?" She asked, grabbing them both by the arms and dragging them into penthouse. "You know your father and I have to leave in half an hour!"  
  
Abbey jerked out of Carly's grasp first, "I've told you before Carly," she said while rubbing the red mark on her arm, " You're not my parent, don't ever put your hands on me!"  
  
*How dare that little brat talk to me like that! * Carly moved closer to Abbey but the girl refused to give up her ground. Dark brown eyes, Alexis' eyes, stared at her defiantly.  
  
"Touch her and I'll knock you on your bony ass Carly." Gina shoved past her stepmother and walked towards the kitchen, "Good Morning Daddy!" She called into the room.  
  
"What took you so long?" Came the response form the kitchen.  
  
"Gina was looking for her boots!" Abbey chirped as she took her seat at the breakfast table.  
  
"It's not like you don't have seven pairs of them Gina." Sonny called back.  
  
"That's just what Mom said." Gina told him.  
  
Carly tensed at the mention of Alexis. She had spent the last seventeen years trying to rid herself of that dried up old hag, but it seemed that every time she made an inch of progress those damned brats pushed her back a foot. And now there they were sitting at her table yet again. Two mini- Alexises smiling smugly at her.  
  
Gina knew that Carly was seething inside but couldn't say anything because Sonny was in the next room. Turning to her sister she began to talk to Abbey about their American Government Exam.  
  
Carly sat down across form the girls and started talking, "I swear to God you must be the most self-centered children on the planet! Michael was never late to breakfast when he was growing up."  
  
Abbey stopped what she was doing to turn to Carly and say, "and you know that how? Michael ate breakfast with Leticia almost every morning of his child hood."  
  
Carly hadn't actually been expecting a response so of course she wasn't really listening to the girls. "Huh?" She said stupidly.  
  
Abbey's face took on a look of disgust. "Whatever." She said and turned back to Gina.  
  
"I don't know why you mother hasn't taught you two better manners. If you were my children you'd know how to treat your elders."  
  
This time it was Gina who turned to her stepmother, "Lady if I was your kid I'd be in serious need of therapy."  
  
"Was I talking to you smartass?" *Damnit! * Carly thought to herself, *These brats always have an answer to everything! *  
  
"Yeah you were Carly." Now Gina gave up and went back to her sister.  
  
"Okay you know what? You two need to have more respect for me!"  
  
Gina looked at Abbey; "did you just hear something?" She asked.  
  
Abbey frowned in concentration for a second, "Sounds like a fly or something."  
  
Carly was about to go further but just then Sonny came out of the kitchen. "One Denver omelet," he said putting a plate down in front of Abbey. "And two Belgian waffles." That dish he gave to Gina.  
  
"Thank you Daddy." They chorused in unison, flashing Sonny brilliant smiles. *Little brownnosers! * Carly silently seethed.  
  
Abbey slid her eyes to the side so she could check Carly's reaction. She was pleased to see that Carly was so pissed it looked like she should have had smoke coming out of her ears.  
  
Sonny sat down at the head of the table, "Is everything ok Carly?" He asked, "You look kind of flushed."  
  
Gina looked at Carly with big innocent brown eyes, "Yeah Carly; you're all blotchy."  
  
"It's nothing." Carly managed to get out, grasping the neck of her water so hard that Abbey thought she was going to snap the neck. "I just swallowed something the wrong way."  
  
*************************  
  
"I'm going to kill my husband!" Emily Bowen Quatermaine-Cassadine announced as she strode into Alexis' office.  
  
Alexis didn't even look up from her files, "What now?"  
  
Emily kicked off her high heels and sat down Indian style in the chair in front of Alexis' desk; "Nikolas bought Paige a horse for her birthday!"  
  
"And?" Alexis prompted, getting up and walking towards her file cabinet.  
  
"She's only six Lex! Paige can barely ride her bike without scraping something!" Emily ran a hand through her hair in frustration, causing the already short locks to stand practically on end, her eyes were growing dark with anger, "She's gonna kill herself!"  
  
"Don't worry Em," Alexis assured her friend, "All Cassadines are practically raised on horseback. Nikolas has been riding since he could walk." The air was on the fritz again so Alexis took of Gina's leather jacket and pinned her hair back with a couple of pencils.  
  
Emily watched her friend with growing frustration, "How can you be so calm about this?"  
  
"Paige is the Cassadine Princess Em," Alexis reminded her, "I'm surprised Nikolas hasn't taught her how to ride already."  
  
A somber cloud seemed to settle over Emily at the reminder; she stared at the huge crested ring on her right hand, the symbol of so much happiness and the same time so much pain. "You know Nikolas isn't into the Cassadine legacy anymore Lex, he doesn't have those expectations for Paige."  
  
Alexis could have kicked herself for being so brusque; Emily had gone from fierce mother lioness to depressed little pixie in a matter of seconds. "Of course he doesn't Em," She said reaching across the table to pat Emily's arm, "I'm sure Nikolas is just looking for a way to bond with Paige."  
  
Emily's face brightened a little bit; the clouds withdrew from her eyes and a little bit of their normal sparkle returned, "Like he needs to get any closer to her," She joked, "Nikolas already spoils her rotten. Paige is a Daddy's girl through and through."  
  
Alexis snorted at that, "Don't come here looking for sympathy I've got two of them at home."  
  
Emily looked, really looked, at her friend for the first time in a long time. Time had treated Alexis well. She seemed to be, Emily thought to herself, one of those women who only looked better as they got older. When one see them as teenagers it's like looking at an unfinished portrait, the features are all there, it just takes experience to tie them together in a way that no one could expect. Emily thought about the Alexis that she had known all those years ago. The hair had been darker, the face less lined, but the eyes were much sadder. Abbey and Gina had brought a peace into Alexis' life that had never been there before. So what if she had to frost the gray hairs a bit more often now? And maybe the laugh lines didn't disappear as soon as her face became serious again. Underneath the translucent skin, coffee colored eyes, and incredible bone structure there was a truly happy woman.  
  
Alexis noticed that Emily was kind of drifting and snapped her fingers in front of her face, "You ok Em?" She asked.  
  
Emily jerked back to attention; "did you ever think our lives would end up this way?"  
  
That hadn't been the answer Alexis was expecting, "What do you mean?"  
  
"Twenty years ago," Emily began, "I was still in High School and running around with Juan," she stopped for a second to contemplate what her future might have been with that particular boyfriend, *Weird. * She decided, *Very weird. *  
  
"And I was engaged to Ned." Alexis finished. Contemplating what her life would have been like with the man who was now her sister's husband, *Boring. * She decided, *Very boring. *  
  
Alexis and Emily caught each other's eye and shook their heads in amusement.  
  
"Just goes to show that you can never tell your future form the present." Alexis said.  
  
"Tell me about it. There was a time when I never thought I'd see Port Charles again." Emily's foot was starting to go numb so she shifted her weight, "After the accident and everything that went down with Zander I just wanted to get far, far, away from here."  
  
"But then," Alexis began, remembering the circumstances that had brought Emily home.  
  
"But then A.J. disappeared." Emily stopped for a moment to remember her brother. Yeah there were times when A.J. was a lying, manipulative, snake, but he had loved her and she him. A.J. had never recovered form losing all of his assets to Grandfather. That money had been last thing A.J. had left to define himself with, her brother's self esteem had been so low that he thought that no one would care about him if he couldn't buy them. He and Courtney really had tried to make it on their own but, simply put, A.J. hadn't been strong enough. He had started drinking again within the year, watching Courtney grow stronger and thriving had only driven him deeper into depression. Lia had been born that January but it was too late, A.J hadn't been able to turn his life back around. One morning in November he'd woken up, kissed Courtney and Lia good bye, and driven off to work. Her brother had never been heard from again.  
  
Alexis knew that Emily was still grieving for her brother and could have kicked herself for bringing it up, "I might not have always agreed with him Emily, but at the end A.J. really did try to get his act together. But it was like," Alexis paused and tried to think of a way to phrase it, "It was like he was swimming against the tide, the more A.J. tried the more tired he got, and then the waves just drew him back in."  
  
Emily patted Alexis' hand to show her that she was ok, . " So I came back because Mom and Dad were so devastated. A few extra days which turned into weeks, and then months, then I was going back to Europe after college, abut then there was law school and the bar and before I knew it..." She stopped and gestured around the offices.  
  
"Davis and Quatermaine, Attorney's at Law." Alexis chuckled, "Hopefully soon to be Davis, Quatermaine, and Corinthos at Law."  
  
Emily scrunched up her nose in confusion, "Isn't it a bit early to be putting Abbey's name on the door?"  
  
"I'm talking about your nephew, space cadet." Alexis told Emily.  
  
"Oh my God!" Emily squealed in surprise, "Michael decided on Criminal Defense?"  
  
"He called me last night with the news," Alexis confided in her friend; "He's starting Law School in the fall."  
  
"My nephew at Harvard Law." Emily said with pride.  
  
"He's got a new friend to." Alexis confided in her.  
  
"Of the female persuasion?" Emily asked, Michael had been so serious growing up that he rarely had girlfriends.  
  
"I think he really likes her." Michael was like another child to Alexis and he often confided in her before he went to Carly.  
  
"So who is this mystery woman?"  
  
"She's from Pennsylvania, a very big newspaper family. What was her name?" Alexis' brow furrowed in concentration, "Manning...Manning...Oh yes that's it!" Her face cleared as she finally remembered, "Starr Manning, she just graduated law school and has a job in the District Attorney's office."  
  
"Starr?" Emily said, "What a strange name. I wonder what her parents were thinking."  
  
****************************  
  
Van Heidelberg Asylum  
  
Bern, Switzerland  
  
The patient's room was heavily shadowed. Sunlight tried in vain to burst through the heavy brocade curtains but had to settle instead for sending watery streams through the cracks. The area was richly decorated; hanging tapestries embroidered with foreign images of eastern men and strange languages were flung over almost every surface. Gilded mirrors sat on the mantle over the fireplace, but they were covered with dust because there had been no one to look into them for years because the sole inhabitant of this room had never even gotten up out of her bed.  
  
Sabine Denuve walked into the patient's room the same way she had every morning for the last Twenty-five years. Curtains were opened to allow the rich morning sunlight to stream in. Then she replaced the roses that always sat in a porcelain vase on the nightstand. *What a shame, * Satine thought looking around the room, *All this wealth and she's not even able to appreciate it. * She picked up a Faberge egg that was next to the vase, *THUD* Satine jumped at the sound and dropped the egg, *Stupid girl, * she chided herself, *There's no one else here! * Sabine was about to stand back up when a hand suddenly dropped down in front of her face, fist clenching and unclenching. She jumped up only to be confronted by the patient's wide blue eyes, "Mon Dieu!" Sabine exclaimed, she opened the door and ran out into the hall.  
  
"Dr. Beauchamp!" She called, "Dr. Beauchamp!"  
  
The harried looking doctor raced over to her, "What is it Nurse Denuve" He asked.  
  
"It's Mrs. Cassadine!" She exclaimed, still not believing what had just happened in the room.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She's awake!"  
  
  
  
AN: So think you know the surprise? Just remember nothing is ever as it seems. 


End file.
